A significant number of celebrities passed away in 2023, leaving a mark with their departures, some of which caused shock, like the death of young American actor Matthew Perry, known for his role as "Chandler" in the series "Friends." Others from various fields included writer Milan Kundera, Russian military leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi, and singer Tina Turner.
**January**
- Russell Banks (82 years), American novelist known for writing about the working class.
- Jeff Beck (78 years), famous British guitarist who started his career with the band "Yardbirds."
- George Pell (81 years), Australian cardinal and former Vatican economy minister, convicted of sexual assault before being acquitted.
- Lisa Marie Presley (54 years), singer and daughter of Elvis Presley.
- Gina Lollobrigida (95 years), Italian actress known for her roles in "Fanfan la Tulipe" and "Notre Dame de Paris."
- Lucile Randon (118 years), known as Sister André, the oldest person in the world, who passed away peacefully in her sleep.
- David Crosby (81 years), American rock musician.
**February**
- Paco Rabanne (88 years), prominent Spanish fashion designer famous for his metallic dress designs.
- Pervez Musharraf (79 years), last military leader of Pakistan (1999-2008) and key ally of Washington against Al-Qaeda.
- Burt Bacharach (94 years), American composer.
- Carlos Saura (91 years), Spanish director known primarily for his film "Cerca de Lluvias."
- Marwan Najjar (76 years), Lebanese writer and producer who helped launch numerous television stars in Lebanon.
- Raquel Welch (82 years), famous Hollywood actress.
**March**
- Kenzaburo Oe (88 years), Japanese writer and Nobel Prize winner in Literature in 1994.
- Dick Fosbury (76 years), American athlete who invented the jumping technique that carries his name, winning an Olympic gold medal in 1968.
- Claude Lorius (91 years), glaciologist who highlighted the role of carbon dioxide in climate warming.
- Ryuichi Sakamoto (71 years), pioneering Japanese composer in electronic music and environmental activist.
**April**
- Mary Quant (93 years), fashion designer known for popularizing the mini skirt and colorful makeup in the 1960s.
- Ahmad Jamal, renowned American jazz pianist with about 80 albums.
- Moonbin (25 years), South Korean star from the K-pop group "Astro."
- Harry Belafonte (96 years), American singer, actor, and human rights activist.
**May**
- Helmut Berger (78 years), Austrian actor known for his roles in films by Luchino Visconti.
- Martin Amis (73 years), British writer author of around ten novels, including "The Zone of Interest" in 2014.
- Tina Turner (83 years), American singer who held Swiss nationality, nicknamed the "Queen of Rock and Roll," and winner of eight Grammy Awards.
**June**
- Kaija Saariaho (70 years), Finnish composer.
- Astrud Gilberto (83 years), Brazilian bossa nova singer, first performer of "The Girl from Ipanema."
- Françoise Gilot (101 years), famous painter, partner, and muse of Picasso.
- Silvio Berlusconi (86 years), former media tycoon, who led three Italian governments for nine years.
- Cormac McCarthy (89 years), American author known for his novel "The Road" in 2006.
- Glenda Jackson (87 years), British actress and two-time Oscar winner, former Labour Party MP (1992-2015), and former minister under Tony Blair (1997-1999).
**July**
- Victoria Amelina (37 years), Ukrainian writer, fatally injured during a Russian airstrike.
- Milan Kundera (94 years), French-Czech writer, author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being."
- Jane Birkin (76 years), British singer and actress beloved by the French.
- Tony Bennett (96 years), one of the last great American classical singers.
- Sinéad O'Connor (56 years), rebellious Irish singer and activist against sexual abuse in the church.
**August**
- William Friedkin (87 years), American director known for his films "The Exorcist" and "The French Connection."
- Yevgeny Prigozhin (62 years), founder and leader of the Russian Wagner Group, who died in a plane crash.
- Mohamed Al-Fayed (94 years), Egyptian millionaire and former owner of Harrods and the Ritz Hotel, father of Dodi Al-Fayed, who died with Princess Diana.
**September**
- Karim Al-Iraqi (68 years), one of the prominent poets of Iraqi song lyrics.
- Salif Keita (76 years), Malian footballer, star of Saint-Étienne and Marseille clubs in France.
- Mangosuthu Buthelezi (95 years), a prominent figure from the Zulu minority in South Africa and historical leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party.
- Artist Kariman, star of the golden age, passed away at 87—a short yet impactful cinematic career.
- Fernando Botero (91 years), famous Colombian sculptor known for his oversized sculptures.
- Matteo Messina Denaro (61 years), known as "Diabolik," the last member of the old guard in the Cosa Nostra mafia, who died in prison.
- Michael Gambon (82 years), British actor known for his role as "Dumbledore" in the Harry Potter series.
- Najah Salam (92 years), Lebanese singer who gained widespread fame in the Arab world before stepping away from the artistic scene in the last two decades of her life.
**October**
- Hubert Reeves (91 years), Franco-Canadian astrophysicist known for his publications aimed at scientific simplification.
- Louise Glück (80 years), American poet and Pulitzer Prize winner.
- Gisel Khoury (62 years), Lebanese media figure recognized as one of the leading names in political television dialogue in the Arab world.
- Martti Ahtisaari (86 years), President of Finland from 1994 to 2000, Nobel Peace Prize winner (2008).
- Matthew Perry (54 years), American actor known for his role as Chandler Bing in "Friends."
**November**
- Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie (94 years), French historian and pioneer in climate history studies.
